Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent.
Theodore RooseveltRead
The one thing I want to leave my children is an honorable name.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The most important legacy a parent can leave their children is a good reputation.
This quote emphasizes the value of personal integrity and honor, suggesting that a parent's true wealth lies not in material possessions but in the respect and good name they build over their lifetime. Theodore Roosevelt highlights that children benefit immensely from the legacy of honor and reputation left by their parents, which can guide them in life.
Themes
HonorLegacyReputationFamilyValues
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering, I shared this quote to encourage my children to value integrity.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
All quotes βIt tires me to talk to rich men. You expect a man of millions, the head of a great industry, to be a man worthhearing; but as a rule they don't know anything outside their own business.
Theodore RooseveltRead
No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.
Theodore RooseveltRead
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.
Theodore RooseveltRead
Conservation means development as much as it does protection._x000D_ _x000D_ A man's usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals insofar as he can.
Theodore RooseveltRead
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
Theodore RooseveltRead
Similar quotes
I felt like I needed to come to terms with the decision I'd made to let go of my family. What do you do when you want to be loyal to your family but you feel that loyalty to them is in conflict somehow with loyalty to yourself?
Tara WestoverRead
Tell me about your family," I said. And so she did. I listened intently as my mother went through each branch of the tree. Years later, after the funeral, Maria had asked me questions about the family - who was related to whom - and I struggled. I couldn't remember. A big chunk of our history had been buried with my mother. You should never let your past disappear that way.
Mitch AlbomRead
If you talk to your children, you can help them keep their lives together. If you talk to them skillfully, you can help them to build future dreams.
Jim RohnRead
A mother, after all, is your entry into the world. She is the shell in which you divide and become a life. Waking up in a world without her is like waking up in a world without sky: unimaginable.
Meghan O'RourkeRead
Parents remain our touchstones, fellow travelers, even after death. They are both missing and present.
Ellen GoodmanRead
I wanted to be a 150% entrepreneur and a 150% mom, and I found that I was having a very hard time doing both. I was about 75% and 75% - still better than 100%, but not what I was accustomed to at work.
Barbara CorcoranRead